Skin

Skin does a lot of jobs – keeping our bodies together, protecting us and helping keep cool. Professor Hallux thinks he can jazz up the body and that leopard print wrapping paper might be just the job. Although will it do all the jobs that skin does?

Skin does a lot of jobs. It protects you and helps keep your cool. LOOKING cool though isn’t one of those jobs! Professor Hallux and Nurse Nanobot are investigating whether leopard print wrapping paper is better than the real thing, using an online ‘Physiology File‘

LOADING PHYSIOLOGY FILE

Job 1: The Hypodermis. This is the bottom layer of skin. It’s thick and fatty to protect and insulate organs from bumps and stores energy.

More to click...

Wrapping paper just isn’t going to protect or insulate anything very well. Not even a birthday present!

Job 2: The Dermis. This middle layer of skin contains blood vessels which help transfer heat to the surface to regulate temperature. And because it’s made of a mesh of springy fibres, it also provide elasticity.

Wrapping paper is quite flexible – you can scrunch it up… and pull it out. Just gently please!

Job 3: The Epidermis. This top layer of skin provides a barrier to prevent bacteria getting inside the body. It’s waterproof too and contains sweat glands and hairs which keep us at the right temperature.

Wrapping paper isn’t very waterproof, and wouldn’t do a very good job of keeping you warm or cool either!

As well as being very flexible, skin is amazing at keeping us safe. But you need to look after it. If skin gets too dry or damaged then it won’t be able to provide a protective barrier against germs. That’s why it’s important to keep skin clean and moisturised and cover up any cuts and grazes.

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